Preparing for a Job Interview
Job interviews: it is really important to make a good first impression on your new potential Employer.
When you have a job interview, first of all it is important to ensure that you understand the job role that you have applied for and that you have fully understood the job description and the requirements of the role.
There is nothing worse to an Employer than someone being interviewed; babbling and struggling to answer their direct questions about the job role and the requirements that the company expects from their employees.
The internet can be a brilliant tool for further expanding your research about a job role if you choose to go above and beyond exploring the job description that the company included with the job application.
Employers like to see and to know that you know what you are talking about, whether it is further details about the job role or being able to expand your knowledge about the job role or whether it is that you have carried out research about the company and that you have found out some intricate details about the company.
If you are applying for a job role that you are familiar with then it is important that you have constructed some sort of portfolio or a personal development file on your work experience.
This can comprise of keeping Supervision and Appraisal details, certificates (copies or originals) of your training and anything that you have done in your role to further yourself within that company or to increase your knowledge within the job role.
It can also be useful to keep your contract in your portfolio or personal development file and demonstrate to your interviewer that you have read and are familiar with your contract during your interview.
It is important to new employers that you appear calm and collected during your interview, they do not want to see someone who is overly nervous or fidgety; they like to see someone who is calm and collected.
It can be helpful to do a number of breathing exercises before your interview so that you have trained your body to remain focused and calm. Remember it is only an interview and that the interview panel are all human beings just like you and they too know what it is like to be interviewed and wanting to stand out from the crowd.
Focus on current affairs which affect the job sector that you are applying for; for example if you are aiming to work in a job sector which has rival companies which have gone into administration then research what went wrong with the other company and try to come up with one or two examples of strategies which would mean the company you are applying to could potentially avoid the same mistakes. Even if the company have already done this it demonstrates you have researched and demonstrated your knowledge on how to focus on correcting potential mistakes and errors which could be harmful to the company.
Job interviews are important for further career development and gaining employment, if you do not succeed in your job interview you can phone the company and ask what went wrong and how you can improve. This will help you in your next job interview to avoid making the same mistakes and this may also interest the company who interviewed you in your enthusiasm and interest.
The main thing to prepare for a job interview is to remain calm, to appear smart and professional and to be yourself and don’t pretend to be someone you are not.
